Schoesler: Concerns Linger With 2019 Session On The Horizon

Washington state lawmakers will gather in Olympia January 14th, and like most terms, this upcoming legislative session will have several key topics the Ag community will be following very closely. Minority leader, Senator Mark Schoesler, said many in Olympia say they hold agriculture in high regard. But he noted a lot of pieces of legislation that linger from the past will put the Ag lobby to work early in the 2019 session.

“The future of pesticide application notices is still up in the air, there was a task force, whether they will look at training and education of operators or whether they will push for devastating notification bill is still yet to be determined.”

Schoesler, a wheat farmer from the Palouse, said a potential carbon tax or possible taxes on Ag inputs remain concerns looking ahead.

About the author

Glenn Vaagen is the Program Director for the Washington Ag Network. Prior to his time with the Washington Ag Network, he was the Program Director and News Director for KBNW-AM in Bend, OR. Early in his career, Glenn was the News and Program Director at KMAX-AM in Colfax, WA. He graduated from the University of Idaho where he played football for the Vandals. Glenn is married and has four children.